Pusher-hydroaeroplane.



P. 6. ZIMMERMANN & H. KLECKLER.

PUSHER HYDROAEROPLANE.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 4. I9l6 Patented Mar. 11,1913

1 sHEETs-sHEE'T1.

l|\|l wm @m Q0. n@ Se @mm1/H6141 HENRY KLEcK-LER M4 PAuLGll MM'ERMANN.

P. G. ZIMMERMANN & H. KLECKLER. PusHER HYDROAEROPLANE.

APPLICATION FILED .MAY 4.19l6. 1,296,730. Y PatentedMar. 11,1919.

7 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

jvwenlozl HEN RY KLECKLEEW PAULG ZlMMERMAKIK:.4

aan,

. GMW

P. G. ZIMMEBMANN L H. KLECKLER.

' PUSHERHYDROAEROPLANE.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 4. 1916.

[,296,730. Patented Mar. ,11,- 1919,'.v

TSHEETS-SHEET 5.

`HENRY KLECKLERW '-PAULGZIMMERMANN.

P.4 G.l ZIIVIIVIERIVIANN & H. KLECKLER.

FUSHER HYDROAIEROPLANE. APPLICATION FILED MAY 4. 1916.

7 SHEETS-SHEET 6.

Juventud HENRY K LECKLERIIAy PAULGZIMMERMANN.

' P. GLZIMMERMANN & H. KLECKILER.

PUSHER HYDRQAEROPLANE. APPucmpN man (MH. me.

1296330. Patented Mar. 11. 1919.

` I SHEETS-SHEET 7- r HENRY Knecmen M PAULGZMMERMANN.

v ments in Pusher-Hydroaeroplanes, of which", vthe following is a specification.

ict

PAULcfaiiuMEnMeNN AND HENRY KLECKLEB, orv unam/Luo, NEW-YORK, AssIGNons To'cunrissnnnorLANn AND Moron CORPORATION, n coRroRArIoN or NEW-YORK.

PSHEEHYDRDAEROPLANE.

To @ZZ wkom't may concern: [Be it known that we,l PAULG. ZIMMER-v MANN andHENnrKmoirnER, 4citizens of the United States, residing at lBulialo, in the county of' Erie and State of New York, have;

invented certain new and useful I Improve?V Our invention relates "to aircraft'and. has

particular reference' to hydroaeroplanes dell signed for Hights of short duration, quick the aeronautical art and the adoption of aircraft'for'many and varied uses, it is incumbent upon manufacturers and othersintercsted in the developmentl of the aeroplane to provide a 'erfe'ctly safe machine which'will enable 'uns 'lled 4aviators "tol learn, byl actual flight, the variousiessentials to complete and perfect control.

A machine constructed with the foregoing in view should, above all-else, be designed' 'with care." Each and every element of the machine'sliould be judiciously selectedfrom the best of light materials and in assembly, Y trussed and tied in a manner conducive to .maximum strength. Anti-skid planes, where practical, shouldl be employed and the engine bed diagonally and laterally braced 're'- spectively :to the landing gear and to the' supporting planes, of which,` in the present instance, there are two. 'The tail structure I and-empennage shouldbe constructed with r precision and the machine as a'whole properl'y balanced onits several -axes-verticaL v longitudinal and' horizontal.

The very nature of the machine and the' demands made vthereon have been carefully considered ,Land the structural elements accoidinglyLarranged. f The fuel capacity and useful load are minimized and the exposed ,parts streamlined and cordinated to-oier the least resistance incident to flight. Inv the Y embodiment illustrated and which 'We conv sder preferred, the machineis of the pusher type with the nacelle disposedalmost wholly aheadv of the center of r`pressure and intermediate the superposedplane's.. c The engine bed and the engine mounted thereon are located directly over the lower plane, ,'at` the aft end of the. nacelle,`and in the approxii In describing ourvinven-tion in detail, refvPatente-d Mar. 11,l 1919.

matel vertical plane lof the center ofA gravity.

Braces', assuggested, lead from the rear Lend 55 of the engine bed laterally to the lower plane and forward-ly and downwardly, through the nacelle, to the landing gear-z'. e., a pontoon. Qiiick` assembly of the machine parts, if necessary, is made possible bythe novel conrformationof.the underneath surface of the nacelle', which as 4hereinafter pointed out, is oly a construction designed to complemental-lyk engage with the vtop convex A'surface of the lower supporting plane'without a break' 65 in the streamlinecontinuityfrom the forward endof the nacelle4 to the aft or trailing p lane. The fuel tank or con? tainer feeds irectly to the motor by gravity and is built into the upper plane whereby it` -70 offers' -no head resistance. If-desired, the lubricant ma, be similarlycontained. This particulai` ature of the inlventionV is thought to be novel in the extreme. "As in inost machines of the pusher type, theA ra-l l7 5 diator (forming a part-ofthe propelling j power plant) is located wholly without thet nacelle to accordingly receive the maximum Vcooling effect occasioned bythe continuous air blast imposed thereonv during flight; The, V type, location'and Aarrangement of the various lradiator parts, like other features to be hereinafter more fully described are considered newand accordingly substantiate thel iclaims to follow:

erence will be had to thel accompanying drawings `wli "e rein like characters of referl encevdesignate like or corresponding parts -throughout th'e several views, of which:

Figure 1 lis a plete machine;` t

- Fig. 2 is a side elevation;

Fig. A3 is a front elevation, partly broken away; g l Y Fig@ is a top plan view partly broken away; 4

Fig. 5 isa detail perspective view of tlie landing gear, the nacelle frame and theengine section panel of the lower wing or'plane 100 illustrating the manner -inwhich the ynacelle perspective view of the comvis mounted to rest thereon I .Fig.`6 isa transverse,t section of the upper supporting plane illustrating the location and arrangement lof the fuel tank therein;

Fig; 7 is a'fragmentary top plan view of Fig. 9 is a detailfside elevationof one of *the radiators illustrating the manner in which the wing struts coperateto support the radiator thereon Fig.- 10 is a section on the line 10-10 of Fig. 11--is adetail perspective view-of one vof the fastening devices utilizedto fastenl lthe 4nacelle frame to the lowersupporting dinal'sides thereof. Themanner inwhich- Plane;

Fig. 12 is an enlarged section illustrating the connection betweenthe lower supporting plane'and the-lower longerons of the nacel e that the means providing forthe 'continuity ofthe bottomsurface of the nacelle may be disclosed, and

Fig, 13 is a view illustrating a modified formvof engine bedbracing.

In the embodiment of the invention selected for illustration,- 20 designates in its entirety the nacelle, 21 in a like mannerthe scribed, the'nacelle may be said to further landinggear, 22 the tail structure, 23 the propelling power plant, and 24 and 25 respectively, the upper and lower supporting.

or sustaix'iing planes.

The nacelle 20 maybe generally described as comprising the usual longer-ons 26, cross struts 27, vertical-struts 28 andinterconnecting diagonal wiring 129. In addition to aframe consisting ofthe Velements ljust deinclude an outer vfabric covering 30 (wherebya streamlinevfo'rm is obtained),l seat railsl 31, a pilots seat 32, a foot rest 33,1and'a cockpit 34, the latter, and in fact the greater portion of the nacelle, being disposed wholly ahead of the center of pressure of the sup.

porting surfaces 24and 2 5.` The lower longer-ons 26 are of special form orconformation in that they complementally engage with the-top. convex surfacefofthe lower supporting plane 25 'as illustrated to advan-y tage 1n Fig.'5. Removable fastening devices 35 of an inverted U-form engage' with the lower longerons'of the. nacelle and in .consequence permit of quick. assembly of. the machine parts Vsince it is an easy matter to bodily remove the nacelle from'engagement with the lower wing-or lane by simply Irelmoving the fastening vnect'ing` the several braces hereinafter more lparticularly described."

evices and discon- Although it -is impracticable to shape the lower longeronsto conform exactly 'to Ithe top configuration of Vthe lo wer supporting plane, the streamlined contlnuity from the forward end ofthe nacelle to thetr'ailing edge of the plane is/maintained, as illustratedf in Fig. 12, by interconnecting the occurs in alighting lower longerons and the leading edge of the lower supporting plane as indicated at'36. The aft end of the'nacelle 20 is; tapered to a point' inthe approximate vertical plane ofthe trailing edge of the lower supporting.y

plane, immediately laft of whichthepropeller (forming` a part ofI the propelling power plant 23) is located. In view of the peculiarrear-end conformation ofthe nacelle andthe fact that .the motor-should'be located inthe approximate vertical plane of the-center of gravity, theengine bed` 37, although built into the'nacelle, must extend vat its aft end vwithout 'thenacelle and beyond the longituthel engine bed is thusextended is best illustrated in'Fig.A 5. Diagonal forwardly and downwardly diverging braces 38lead from the extended rear terminalsof the bedbeams constituting the gengine bed, through the nacelle andto the landing gear 21. Such an arrangement will eifectually brace the Inalower supporting plane 25. 'Braces 40, cross arranged, silpplement the braces? 3 9.

While .we have shown and shall hereinafter describe' an aircraft of a constructlon designedi fo'r alighting upon vand rising from the surfaceof a'body of water, itis to be vunderstoodthat we. do not'contem late limitinge entiallynovelstrueture to. ydroaero-f` planes, forit is 'evident that by altering or reconstructing thelanding gear andfeliminating the wing pontoons (hereinafter referi'ed to), the craft disclosed-maybe 'used as a land machine. Forward landing gear or chassis struts 4 1, located `oneat each side of the main i'oat or pontoon42, depend from the under side of the engine section panel 25 of the-lower ysupporting plane inthe ap;-

proximate vertical plane 'of the 'forward wing beam of said. panel.l Parallel rear chassisstruts 43 interconnect the pontoon 42 and the lower supporting plane at the aft endl of the -pontoon and in the approximatel verticalplane ofthe diagonal lateral braces 39 which engage 'at one end of the engine bed. The diagonally dis osed forwardly exby any suitable means to the pontoon y42 lthat the forward end of the latter maybe-braced, .Y properly and continuously vthrough the lna-V celle and-to the engine bed. It isdirectly -11-5.' tending braces38, as be ore .1nt1mated, conv verge to a point 44 where they are connected beneath the point 44that the greatest impact nated 45. Such a. construction will permit upon a body of v vat'er.l :The braces 38, as illustrated in Fig. 5,' are I divided at a' point;V preferably equidistant' removal .of the nacelle bodily 'from its nor-l mal position in engagement':withtheftop surfaceA :of ,the lower supporting fplane "without necessitating a removal of-:the upper portionsgof the diagonal bracesk 381frem engagement with the engine bed'.v Angularly disposedfstruts 46 brace the forwardly extended portion'of the nacelle to the ponton-Daft of thev pointl lll and in advance of thev leading v edge of the. lsaid supporting plane. Additional diagonal braces 47 and 48 interconnect the pontoon with the engine section panel of the lower supporting plane as illus? vtrated. The lpontoon Ll2 is streamlined `throughout. and provided at its forward end with a hydroplaning bottom of a conformation generally considered appropriate for machinesof this character.

Coming now to a description of the su'staining planes24 and 25, it will be observed that the former .has agreater spread so as tooverhang the latter in a manner common to aeroplanes ofthe biplane type. posts 50 interconnect the planes or Wings .and lwith stay wires 51 truss and brace the ranged struts or wing posts 52 engage at one`v end the engine section panel lof the upper plane and at their opposite end interiorly fof the nacelle, the'rear inverted `V-arranged struts preferably engaging with the aft terminals of the engine bed beams and-the forward .terminals of the V-arranged struts with `the corresponding terminals thereof.

3;-The forward inverted -Varranged struts serve a dual function which will hereinafter be moreparticularly referred to.

.Wing -pontoons or ioats 53 depend from the outer terminals of the lower plane for 1.0. fran-obvious purpose. Each float or. pontoon 53- is of -a construction affording a hydrolpl-aning surface and at the same time an anti-skid plane since the float proper is webconnected as indicated at '54 to the supportfing plane. Each llo'at is diagonally braced asindicated at 5 5. Tofurther increase in! y herent lateral stability, anti-skid planes 56 are-mounted aboveA the` upper supporting plane 25 vand adjacent.the outer terminals 5&- ofthe plane. These planes 56 together with antieskidnplanes 57 disposed intermediate the supporting planes and in the vertical plane of lthefanti-skid planes 56 laterally stabilize the .machine in flight. The planes 5t57 interconnect the outer wing posts 5,0 and to .a certainextent brace the wings at their outer ends. y

The tail structure 22 and the empennage mounted at the aft end ofthe tail structure 601 .are of a well known construction and will therefore beV4 described in general terms. Outriggers 58 lead from the respective 'sup'- porting planes-rearwardly in converging rej lation, the upper' outriggers 58 engaglng 1 f 'lwith the ftop surface of the horizontal Stabi Wing lizer"59'g'an'd the lower outriggersiwith-the bottom'surface thereof. The stabilizer 5 9 1s y maintai'lfied4 against movement with. respect to thc'f'outr'i'ggers 58 by means' of struts '60 passing t herethrough. The ftailwstructure, fromend to 'endis braced by stru designated respectively 61 and l brace-"the tailf structure to the, "ings 'or supporting planesand wires 64`br`a`ce` the sup-v porting planes forwardly tothe nacelle.

Suchan arrangement'islessential to absolute rigidity '-andmay be best observed 'ref-- erence to Fig. 4L.v y The empennage, in additionto ythe-horizontal stabilizer. 59 comprises al vertical stabilizer 65, a vrudder 6 6 anda divided 'or two-part elevator 67. Each of the several elements is of an accepted design, the rudder 66 and elevator 67 being movable. respectively on vertical 'andhorizontal axes to di -rect flight and by any suitable control means (not'shown). Ailerons 58 are mounted as usual, at the outer ends of the upper 'supporting plane to right the machineA and accordingly maintain perfect lateral balance.

ingly inthe approximate vertical planeof f the center of gravity and directly over the motor 69, it is evident that the' use of force feed pumps in connection with the vmotor is` unnecessary since the fuel will feed to the motor by gravity. The tank 7 2 is not only relatively flat but of r`anlappropriate shape"v to engage between the wing beams 7 3 and 7 4v,

which support the upper wing.l The wings,`

as usual, include not only thewing beams 7 3 and 74.-, but transverse compression struts "7 5, a nose strip 76, a trailing edge strip 77and a fabric covering`78, the latter, in the embodiment here shown having several openings forrned therein, one of the openings 79 permitting access to the ,tank for filling pur- .Y

poses and the other (not shown) affording ample space for the securement 'of the feed if pipe j( likewise not shown)fleading from lthe tank 72 to the motor. Straps'SO interconnect the beams 7 3 and 74. and 'engagexwith Athe underneath surface 4of the tank y72 that the said tank may be properly supported. Inverted U-bolts 81- are arranged over the respective beams and pass through the terminals ofthe respective stra-ps 80 to providey 'As a means precluding lateral and longitudinal displacement of the tank with respect to the supporting-plane, a transverse grooveg82 van appropriate fastening ymeans therefor.

complemental strut83 mounted to engage at one end the forward wing beam 73 and at its formed in the tank to vreceive therein au .pxorting'straps 80 hereinbefore described. 15

ccess may be gained'to the tank 72 moving a filler plug 86.

While the vmajor portionof the fuel tank is linclosed within the confines of the upper wing it will benoted upon reference to Fig.

by re- 6 that the sump ofthetank ,is-extendedbev neath and therefore without its confines.

l' This arrangement is n ot only preferred but is extremely'-desirable for the reason tha-ta positive feed is assured under all flight conditions. Were the sump inclosedwithin the confines of the wing more .or less of the fuel contained in the tank would vbe trapped 1should the machine fall back or nose' over l'at av steep angle. The shape' of the sump is suchthat a minimum of reslstance is offered, 1

Where .the nacelle structure 20 is stream?. lined throughout andthe motor .69 mounted at the aft'end of the nacelle, it-is customary to locate the radiator or radiators without the nacelle to secure the desired maximum cooling 'effectl This practice is` followed out. in the present case and the-raf diators of whieh there. are two, designated 71, located intermediate theupper supporting plane andthe nacelle, the forward V- arranged strut 52 affording a support therefor. A chair or shelf 90 1s made secure to each extension of the forward V-arranged struts to ,engagewith the underneath side of the radiator to which it-is 'secured as indicated at 91.n vIn its preferred embodiment, the radiator may be described as compris-. ing a plurality of parallel tubes 92 through 4which the Water is circulated, an upper streamlined header 93 and' a lower similarly formed header 94.- Openings 95 are'formed in the radiator, one opening in each header, to provide for the passage of thestrutex,- tensions therethrough. This arrangement will v'to a certain extentdecrease the head resistance since it is ordinarily customary to have both the strutszand the radiator exposed', each offering its p roportlonate re. sistance tonight. The rad1ators'89maybe; thus describedv as embracing' the extensions of 'the strut 52Lto which they are fastenedby the chairs 90 above described. Although we have described more or less precise formations and deta1ls of construction, we do notintend to be understood vchanges in form, the

structure thereof.

' at the aft end limiting ourselves thereto as we contemplate and the substitution ofl equivalents as circumstances may'suggest or render expedient and without departing from the spirit of the invention as claimed.

proportion Iof parts If desired, the diagonal braces 38A may be Y dispensed withand the center of gravity brought` just a little-nearer the forward end of the n iachineA by running a brace 96, as illustrated in Fig. 13, from the .point 44 to theengine plate 97 .mounted at the forward end of the engine bed 37. Or, if desired, the

may be vfurther modified bythe provision of a V-brace-the Vdivergedterminals ofthe brace engaging -with the engine bed beams at the opposite end thereof from that illustrated in Fig, 5. What is .claimed is:

1. In an.- aircraft, superposed' supporting planes, and a body structure mounted to rest directly upon the top surface of the lower vplane for releasable fastening engagement therewith. l

2. In an aircraft, a supporting plane, and a nacelle of a conformatlon deslgnedto rest upon the top surface of said supporting.

plane and to extend forwardly therebeyond- 'in the. approximate horizontal plane of tl`r 'underneath surface of said supporting plane Ito-preclude the 'formationfof vortices-at the underneath side of the nacelle.

`3. lIn an aircraft, a nacelle structurefand i a supporting planeiunted'to' engagewith.

the `underneath vaft end of the nacelle'with-- out a break ini ,the streamline continuity 4. In anaircraft, a

structuremounted to rest upon the top bodfy .sur ace ofv said plane, anengine bed mountand a meansldiagonally bracin the' ioo supporting. iplane,l a v engine bed from its aftend to said ase,

said means for a portion of ing inclosed within said body.

5,. In' an aircraft, a nacelle, an engine bed mounted upon andl at the aft 'end of the nacelle to extend` laterally beyond the rearv longitudinal sides thereof, and a means portion of the engine bed thus bracing that extended.

`6. In an aircraft, a supporting plane,

its length be-Y nacelle, an engine bedmounted upon and of the nacelle to extend :laterally beyondf the longitudinal sides thereof,

" anda means bracing the extended'portion of thev engine bed to said supporting plane. 7. In' an aircraft, a streamlined nacelle, an engine bed mounted upon and at the aft end of the nacelle to extend laterally beyon the longitudinal sides. thereof, alanding base, and am'eans diagonally and forwardly bracing the extended terminal of the engine bed to said base.

lso

8. In an aircraft, a Supporting plane,` a

" removable nacelle body mounted to rest upon the top surface of said supporting plane, a

l' landing gear, an engine bed mounted at the aft end of the nacelle, and a means diagonally and continuously bracing the engine bed to the landing gear through the nacelle.

transverse ribs and internal diagonal wiring, of a tank inclosed for the major part within the confines of the wing, the size and shape of the-tank being such that its edges abut 1 adjacent ribs and the diagonal wires to pre- 9. In an aircraft, a' supporting plane in cluding wing beams, a body structure mount ed to rest upon the top surface of said supporting plane and to extend forwardly therebeyond, a fastening means for the body structure directlyengagingwith Asaid beams, A

a landing gear,.and a'means bracing the eX'- tended forward terminal of the body struc.- ture to the landing gear. I

.10. The combination with the supporting wing of an airplane, of a tank having a greater portion of its area inclosed Within the confines of the Vairplane Wing and having '.a portion constituting a sump extending beneath -the underneath surface of the wing.

11. In an aircraft, the combination with the propelling power plant, of supporting surfaces mounted one above and the other belowthe propelling power plant, a 'fuel tank mounted in the upper supporting sur-l face, a fuel feed-line connection between the :fuel tank and power plant, and a sum formed in the fuel tank to extend Vbeneat the underneath surface ofthe `supporting surface Within which the 'tank is inclosed.

. 12. In han airplane, the combinationwith Van airplane wing comprising wing beams and` transverse ribs, of a tank inclosedfor the-major part Within the 'confines of the Wing, the size of the tank being suchfthat its edges abut adjacent ribs, straps arranged beneath' the tank to support it, the ends of the straps being fastened to the respective wingl beams, and al1-element extending across the top of the tank to prevent its vertical displacement.

13. 'In an airplane,-the combination with an airplane wingcomp'rising vWing beams and internal diagonal wiring, ofv a tank inlclosedI-for the major partwithin the confines.

mounted to penetratethe body of the radiator and a chair mounted on said element to engage with the radiator to' form with said element the radiator support.-

.16. In an aircraft, a body structure, superposed. planes mounted one above and the other below saidfbody structure, converging struts centrally supporting the upper plane,

al propelling power plant, and radiators for said power plant arranged to inclose one or more of saidstruts.

17. In Aan aircraft, superposed planes ll .body structure, inverted V-arranged struts v 'interconnecting' the planes via 'the body structure, `and a-radi'ator located withoutv the body structure and V-arranged struts.

upon the inverted 18. ,In an airplane, thecombination with airplane-wings comprising vving beams, 'transverse ribs and internal diagonal wiring,

of a substantial heXagona'lta-nk inclosed for of theving, the size of the tank being such that its edges abutaelj acent wires, and straps arrangedfabove and below the tank'to prevent itsvertical displacement, the ends of the straps beingl fastened tothe respective beams of the wing.

14. In an airplane, the combination with an airplane wing comprising wing beams,

fthe major part With-ini the confines of the wing, Vthe shape .ofthe tan'k being such that interference'-fwith the beams, ribs and wires is avoided, and fastening means for the tank directly attached tothe wing beamand ex. tendedA .respectively above and beneath the tank vfor supporting-it.

19. In an airplane, the combination with -an airplane wing comprising wing beams, of

a tank having the greater portion of its'area inclosed within the confines of the wing and havinga portion constituting a sump extending beneath the wing together with fasi tening means for. the tank connecting with the wing beams whereby/the weight of the tank issupported by thebeains and the tank held; against displacement in all directions..

In testimony whereof' we ,aix 'our signatures.

r HENRY iKLECKLER.'

' 'PAUL G. ZIMMERMANN. 7 

